


Spoiler, We All Die In The End

by LMDrums



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Emotional Hurt, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt Tony Stark, Minor Character Death, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:00:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22982896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LMDrums/pseuds/LMDrums
Summary: 3:35 AM. That was the time when Peter Parker’s life changed forever. One second, he was sleeping in blissful serenity, and the next, he sobbed as violently as he ever had in his fifteen years of living. One phone call. One fucking phone call tore his life apart. He knew it would happen eventually. He knew the simple reality of life. He had lived through the destruction that it always left behind. We all die in the end.--OR--Peter Parker is left in the guardianship of Tony Stark following the death of his Aunt May. This story follows the hardships of losing those close to you and the relationships built along the way. Cue Tony and Peter bonding.
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Avengers Team, Peter Parker & Pepper Potts, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 8
Kudos: 90





	1. Chapter 1

3:35 AM. That was the time when Peter Parker’s life changed forever. One second, he was sleeping in blissful serenity, and the next, he sobbed as violently as he ever had in his fifteen years of living. One phone call. One fucking phone call tore his life apart. He knew it would happen eventually. He knew the simple reality of life. He had lived through the destruction that it always left behind. We all die in the end. 

3:34. Peter was asleep. His phone laid just inches away, innocently, on his bedside table. 

3:35. Peter was awakened by his phone’s blaring ringtone. He scrambled to find the answer call button. 

“Is this Peter Parker?” the mysterious voice asked with a sense of urgency. 

“Um yes…” Peter trailed off, still half asleep. 

“This is Westfield Hospital.” Peter felt his heart drop. “We need you to get here immediately.”

“Wha-- Why?” he sputtered, groggily.

“Your Aunt has been in an accident--” Peter hung up the phone, not wanting to hear anymore. Not wanting to hear the truth. 

Intense fear bubbled in his chest. Anxiety flooded throughout his body. 

Nausea ate its way from his stomach all the way up into his head. Before he knew it, vomit began filling his bed sheets and running down his chin.

Tears flooded his face. His hands shook uncontrollably. 

Soon after the vomiting stopped and only saliva seemed to be dripping from his cracked lips, Peter pulled himself off the bed and forced his legs to hold his unsteady form. Pulling his dirty shirt over his head, he felt vomit brush against his hair leaving it sticky and revolting. 

He grabbed his phone, threw on a random hoodie, and bolted out of the apartment. He had never ran so fast in his entire life. The hospital was only a mile away, and he went past it everyday; he knew the route by heart. 

The early morning air shocked his lungs, and his legs burned with exertion. Tears ran down his face as he raced through the streets of Queens towards his Aunt. Towards the only family member left in his life. 

In a remarkable four minutes, Peter had reached the hospital looking completely disheveled. The front desk attendant had led him to a waiting room where a doctor was supposed to arrive shortly. 

Peter sat in a far corner with both legs bouncing, or more accurately, shaking, in anticipation and absolute fear. His nose ran just as consistently as the tears. He wiped both with his shirt and prayed the doctor would come out soon. Closing his eyes, he let himself drift away from reality.

“Are you Peter Parker?” a calm and seemingly friendly voice questioned.

Eyes snapping open and heart pounding, he quickly replied. “Yes.” 

“I’m so sorry to inform you, but May Parker died of her injuries resulting from a car accident,” the tone recounted clinically. 

“No,” he screamed. “No… no no no.” 

He felt his stomach drop and the nausea came back with a vengeance. He cried and cried until he was sure he couldn’t anymore. His chest hurt so bad that he felt certain that his heart was going to burst.

After what seemed like an eternity, he lifted his head to look at the doctor once again. 

“What happened?” His voice was barely audible as it cracked with emotion.

“She was involved in a head on car collision just outside of her work. She passed just a couple minutes before you arrived.” 

“You-- you mean-- I could’ve said goodbye if I… if I made it here faster.” He cried even harder.

“Oh Sweetie. That’s not-- I-- You could not have arrived any faster.” 

Peter nodded although he disagreed. Internally, all he could think about was how much he hated himself for not running quicker. For hanging up on the person that called him. For not taking the situation seriously enough. 

“Can I see her?” he squeaked.

“Of course, dear.”

She led him to a small room down a long hallway and gestured for him to go inside while she, herself, stayed outside to give him privacy. 

Turning the handle with an unsteady hand, Peter slowly walked into the bright room. Blaring lights flooded the room making an uneasy contrast to the darkness Peter felt within. 

On the table laid May Parker, but this May was different. She was so still, more so than Peter had ever seen. She had always been so active and energetic. Seeing her so, well… still, left Peter feeling frigid inside. 

A white sheen had swept through her body leaving her extremely pale. Peter felt his heart break as he lifted a hand to grasp her own. A cold and clammy sensation met his fingertips and spread up through his palm. 

All life was gone from her body. 

He began weeping once again. A pounding agony, manifesting in his temples, consumed his entire head leaving him with an intense migraine. 

Gently, he placed her hand back on the table after leaving her with a goodbye kiss knowing that would be the last time he spent with her alone. 

A sudden, but gentle knock at the door made Peter jump as he was brought back to the reality that his life was now.

“Mr. Parker?” the soft voice called, still outside the door.

“Yes?” Peter replied, trying and failing to keep his emotions under control. 

“My name is Nancy Hall. I am from Social Services. Could we talk for a little while?” 

Peter didn’t reply; instead, he continued staring at his Aunt, willing her to wake up. 

“Peter?” Nancy called again.

“Coming,” Peter finally called back after taking a deep breath. 

Walking slowly, he made his way to the door while he wiped his face for the thousandth time in a desperate attempt to look more composed. When he reached the door, he forced himself not to look back. 

Ms. Hall led him to a small lounging area where they sat awaiting a call to find out what May had wanted for him in the event that she passed so unexpectedly. 

After what seemed like hours, her phone rang. 

“Hello. This is Nancy Hall… yes… we need to know the guardianship appointed by May Parker… what? Can you please repeat that?” A long pause of silence filled the air. “Okay… thank you.”

She turned back to Peter. “Well according to your Aunt’s will, she had a ‘Tony Stark’ listed for guardianship,” she relayed obviously confused.

Peter’s eyebrows shot up in confusion. Sure, Mr. Stark and him were close, but he never imagined May would want Tony to take care of him, and he definitely never imagined Mr. Stark would ever want that responsibility. 

“Oh…” was all Peter could conjure in return.

“Would you like to call him yourself?” Nancy offered.

Peter just nodded, unsure if he could form words at this point. 

Pulling out his old, cracked flip phone, Peter scrolled down to the “S” section in his short contact list and hit call when he reached Tony’s name. 

Much to Peter’s surprise, the phone was answered immediately. 

“Kid?” Tony answered in pure confusion. 

Peter couldn’t speak. He felt like his throat was closing in. 

“Kid? What’s wrong?” Tony asked, concerned.

“Hey…” Peter’s voice cracked. 

“Are you O.K.?” Tony again questioned, enunciating the last word slowly.

“No, oh God, no…” Peter began crying again. 

“Hold on, Bud. I’m coming.” 

Tony jumped out of bed feeling completely drained although he hadn’t been sleeping and hadn’t actually reached a state of peace in 72 hours. 

“FRIDAY, locate Peter Parker,” Tony commanded.

“Mr. Parker is currently located at Westfield Hospital in the third floor lounge area.” 

“Oh Kid..” Tony grimaced. “What did you get yourself into?” 

Still clad in plaid pajama bottoms and a black t-shirt, he quickly threw on a hoodie and sprinted down to the garage. He climbed into the nearest Audi, still in a sleep-deprived haze, and sped to Peter’s location. 

Luckily Tony had been at the Tower instead of the compound, so the trip to the hospital was relatively short. (Although his borderline dangerous speeding probably helped with the arrival time.) 

Dashing into the hospital, Tony surged to locate the stairs knowing the elevator would be too slow for his liking and Peter’s potentially dire situation. After two flights of stairs, he had reached the third floor and immediately went on a search for the front desk. 

Sighing in relief when he finally spotted the friendly receptionist, he jogged over to her, almost gasping for air.

“I’m looking for Peter Parker,” Tony stated. 

“Oh, um…” She began typing on her computer. “We admitted a May Parker…” 

“Shit…” Tony muttered. 

Just then, an overbearingly calm voice from behind caught his attention. “Mr. Stark?” 

He quickly turned to see a fairly short woman standing behind him with a corresponding name tag. 

“That’s me,” Tony replied, beginning to experience a signature panic attack, but trying to maintain a strong front.

“We need to speak, urgently.” 

“Where is Peter?” Tony demanded more than questioned. 

“He is in a waiting room area at the moment with another one of our workers.”

Tony began feeling frustrated. All he wanted was to see the Kid that called him in the middle of the night in obvious distress, but this woman was keeping him away. 

“This better be a quick conversation,” Tony threatened, still oblivious to the situation. 

Instead of creating an argument or explaining the situation in the middle of the floor, she just nodded and led him to a small and private sector where they sat opposite each other at a table. 

“What is going on?” Tony was losing his composed facade. 

“May Parker passed away about an hour ago due to her injuries resulting from a car accident.” 

Tony’s eyes dropped to the ground as he processed the situation. He was speechless, unsure of how to continue the conversation. Luckily, Ms. Hall carried on speaking. 

“It seems Mrs. Parker listed you to receive guardianship of Peter in the event that she passed away,” she explained. “So, if you wish to be responsible for Peter, you will need to sign some paperwork with me right now to take him with you, and then you will be responsible for finalizing the transfer with the state of New York.” 

Head spinning, Tony nodded silently, still unsure if he could trust himself to speak. Sure, May had asked him once if she could appoint him, but he definitely didn’t think that she would pass before Peter turned eighteen. Never in a million years did he think this would happen. 

Tony signed whatever papers she put in front of him and followed her out to where Peter was waiting. 

“Hey Kid…” Tony started. 

“Mr. Stark…” Peter’s voice replied, hollow. 

Tony looked into Peter’s eyes. They were so dull, so sad, so… not Peter. He could see the tear tracks and red splotches that marked the young boy’s face. Peter’s hair was sticking out at all angles and smelled distinctly of puke. 

Tony slowly walked over to the small couch where Peter was and sat down next to him in a poor attempt to provide comfort. Apparently, it worked because Peter melted into his side and threw his arms around the older man. 

“She’s gone,” Peter cried.

“I know, buddy,” Tony comforted. 

“She’s really gone,” Peter repeated.

Tony himself began to tear up at the sound of Peter’s emotions, but he hugged the boy back. The two stayed intertwined for several minutes until Tony decided to get Peter out of their current environment. 

“Let’s get out of here, okay?” Tony suggested. 

Peter didn’t reply verbally, but offered a small nod in agreement. 

The pair walked out of the hospital with Peter hovering close to his mentor’s side and Tony’s hand on the younger boy’s shoulder. Eventually, they reached the car that Tony had haphazardly parked in front of the hospital.

As soon as they both got in and Tony began to pull away, Peter started to talk.

“I’m sorry that I woke you up,” Peter apologized.

This kid. He just lost his last family member and he was apologizing for waking Tony up. 

Tony stopped the car and turned to look at Peter.

“Kid, don’t apologize. You should never have to say sorry for something like that. Also, if it makes you feel better, I wasn’t sleeping.”

“Why not?” 

God. Leave it to this kid who’s life just changed forever to be worried about Tony’s sleeping habits. 

“Been busy, but don’t worry about me.” 

“Okay…” Peter replied.

The rest of the ride back to the tower was silent and unsettling. Tony could already tell that this whole guardian thing was going to be a challenge. Especially because the Avengers had just moved back into the Tower following the Accords situation. Everyone had been cleared and exonerated, but there were still broken relationships and faulty trust. 

Adding Peter to the mix and seeing where his head was at with the Avengers was just adding another reactant to the unbalanced equation. 

By the time they had made it back, it was nearing 7:00 AM. 

Perfect, Tony thought. Just the time all the Avengers would start waking up and coming down to the common area. Overwhelming Peter was the last thing Tony wanted to do right now. The kid already looked like he was going to pass out. 

“Sit tight for a minute,” Tony said softly. 

Tony parked the Audi back in the garage himself in order to alleviate any type of media coverage that he was definitely trying to avoid at the moment. 

Trudging through the long hallway to the elevator, Tony shook his head in a mix of fear and perhaps… regret. Not that he regretted taking in Peter for his own being. He loved that he was able to accept guardianship and hopefully build a relationship, but he feared he might not be the best parental figure. Peter deserved the best. Tony was anything but. 

Eventually, the elevator reached the common floor, and the doors opened revealing almost all of the Avengers going about their daily routines. 

Tony stepped out and took a deep breath, unsure of what he was going to say exactly. 

“Hey guys, we gotta talk,” Tony announced in an attempt to sound somewhat like himself although he felt quite shaken at the moment. 

Shocked by Tony’s unusual tone of voice and diction choice, everyone immediately dropped their current occupations and sat around the dining room table awaiting Tony's announcement.


	2. Chapter 2

Tony could feel the daggers of surrounding glares penetrate his fading veneer. Taking a deep breath and composing his ragging emotional state, he shakily began to speak. 

“So, I know everyone met ‘Spider-Man’ during our recent conflicts,” Tony introduced with a wavering tone. 

The surrounding room of superheroes all nodded in acknowledgement, but remained relatively silent. 

“He is actually a young boy named Peter Parker. Up until a few hours ago, he lived with his Aunt in Queens. I… She passed away this morning....” 

Tony looked down at his feet in some strange, misplaced sense of shame. He finished the announcement with his eyes glued to his house slippers. 

“He has been placed in my care as per his Aunt’s wishes. He will be living with us in the tower until I decide what to do.” Tony looked up into Steve’s eyes. 

“Please… be nice to him and introduce yourselves. I’m sure he would love to meet all of you... eventually.”

With that, Tony garnered himself and headed back down to the garage. Much to his surprise, Peter was actually leaning against the car, presumably awaiting his return. 

“Hey, Kid…” Tony’s voice trailed off, uncertain how to continue. 

“Hi,” Peter returned in a blunt manner. 

“Let’s get you situated upstairs in your room and then we can talk about some stuff.”

Peter only nodded. The two then made their way up into the tower and rode the elevator to Peter’s designated room that he often occupied on weekends and school breaks. 

“Can I be alone?” Peter sounded broken. 

“Sure, Kid. If you need anything, please come find me or ask JARVIS,” Tony practically pleaded. The last thing he wanted was the kid feeling isolated or fearful of the Avengers. 

Heading back downstairs, Tony could feel a migraine brewing. The lack of sleep and abundance of stress was really getting to him. Then again, Tony was no stranger to the agony of migraines. He was a chronic, yet silent sufferer. 

All he wanted was to bury his head in a pillow and block out the world, but apparently Steve had other plans. The moment he arrived on the main floor, the captain began bombarding him with questions and concerns. 

“Tony, we really need to talk about this,” Steve pleaded. 

Tony could barely keep his eyes open as the pure torture of light scorched his sensitive retinas. The pounding behind his skull only seemed to intensify with each breath. Jabbing his thumbs into his eye sockets, Tony yearned for any source of relief. 

“Rogers, I can’t have this conversation right now,” Tony winced with each syllable. 

“But…” 

“Steve, leave him alone,” Bruce interrupted when he saw the desperate expression lining Tony’s brow. 

Thankful for the reprieve, Tony quickly raided the medicine cabinet in the downstairs bathroom right off the kitchen for his prescription painkillers and disappeared to his own personal floor. 

Just as Tony left the room with the orange bottle, Steve’s understanding manifested. 

“Is Stark getting migraines again?” He questioned Bruce. 

“I haven’t noticed him getting any recently, and, evidently, that's the last of his prescription bottles. I’d guess stress and lack of sleep.” 

Rogers nodded in recognition of Bruce’s commentary and immediately felt guilty. He always seemed to be getting Stark’s intentions wrong. Everytime he offered a source of outreach, Stark was always busy or in pain, but Steve could never tell. The two clashed constantly. 

Upstairs, Tony lay motionless on his silk comforter. Every kinetic action just seemed to insight more anguish, and the poor man couldn’t take anymore stimulation. 

Flashes of Peter began filling Tony’s mind. The thought of himself acting as a parent, or even responsible adult, elicited a fearful and overwhelming response in Tony. He felt a staggering urge to vomit as the realization of the morning’s events rushed through his sentient thoughts. 

Despite tragic circumstances, Tony somehow managed to find solace in sleep. His mind drifted off into plaguing stress induced dreams, but he still found relief from reality. 

Down below, on the common floor, several of the Avengers, minus Thor who was offworld in Asgard, gathered to debate their current situation. 

“I know this will be difficult for many of us, and especially for the boy, but this may actually provide a beneficial bridge for healing within this team,” Steve began. “I want to give Peter some space before any of us introduce ourselves.”

“Let’s leave Tony to engage with Peter until it seems like the grieving process has begun and emotions have eased,” Bruce added with a clinical inflection. 

Clint and Natasha sat beside one another at the bar not far from the team’s speakers. Neither felt the need to voice their opinions; instead, they nodded and made mental notes to lay low for a while. 

Back upstairs, Peter sat on his sizable mattress completely lost in thought. His throat felt raw and it burned with each new breath and swallow. His stomach suffered an empty, yet heavy sensation while his chest endured a bubbling pot of anger. 

Why him? What did he ever do to deserve this? 

Peter was only fifteen years old. He was barely old enough to function on his own, yet he had suffered the death of his parents, uncle, and now aunt. Each enumerative thought seemed to add a new layer of depth to his misery. 

Peter suddenly felt the urge for comfort as his emotional state switched back to one of grief and despair. He wanted warm arms to embrace his shakingly unsteady form. He just wanted to be soothed and loved. 

Longing for familiar human interaction, Peter trekked down the hall towards Tony’s suite. He had never actually been inside the older man’s room before, nor did he feel particularly comfortable entering the domain; however, given the circumstances, Peter didn’t think Tony would mind. 

Knocking on the double doors, Peter suddenly felt the urge to retreat. He feared the incoming interaction, yet he yearned for acceptance. 

After several seconds and no answer, Peter felt discouraged. Surely Tony would be willing to at least speak with Peter? So why wouldn’t he answer the door?

Taking a chance, Peter opened the door slightly and scanned the large room with the sliver of impending light from the hallway. 

Atop the aggrandized king mattress, Peter spotted Tony with his head covered by a pillow. All of the windows had been blacked out and a bottle of pills stood on his nightstand. Immediately regretting his decision to enter, Peter slowly backed out of the room to avoid waking the sleeping man. 

“Pete? That you?” Tony’s ragged voice called into the empty air. 

“Uh yeah,” Peter called back, almost silently, which Tony was eternally grateful for. 

“Did you need something?” 

“No--no… I just… nevermind,” Peter recoiled. 

“Come here,” Tony voiced, pleadingly. 

The older man sat up in his bed, feeling minutely better after the hour of sleep, and flicked on his bedside lamp. He quickly smoothed out his hair and gently rubbed his sleep-covered eyes. Tony patted the other side of his bed in invitation to Peter which the younger boy quickly picked up on and accepted with thanks. 

“Are you feeling okay?” Peter questioned. 

“Just a little headache,” Tony assured him. Peter still appeared quizzical. “Alright, it's more of a migraine, but I get them often. Don’t worry about it.”

Tony immediately saw the fear in Peter’s eyes. The young boy was obviously fearful of losing yet another “guardian,” and seeing Tony in such a state hadn’t helped ease the concern. 

“I promise that I will be fine,” Tony once again commented to drill into Peter’s mind the ease of the situation. 

Peter finally nodded and seemed to calm slightly. 

“How about we get some lunch?” Tony offered after noticing it was already 1:00 pm. 

Again, Peter responded with a nod, unable to produce fluent sentences without the threat of an emotional outburst. 

Sighing, Tony eased himself off the bed and motioned for better to follow him into the hall and, subsequently, into the elevator. 

“This is gonna be a long day,” Tony thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been written for a while, but I just got around to posting it! Sorry and thanks for your continued support!

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a kudos and/or comment if you enjoyed! Leave requests! Check out my other fics!


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